Re-Energize
by Lyokion
Summary: Engulfed by a prototype teleportation machine gone awry, Astro is siphoned into a new world where superpowers are a norm in society. Although Astro's appearance remains a mystery, he is accepted by the locals as one of their own - soon beginning to realize that if he is to survive, he must train as hard as he can. And fast. Set after ch.168 in the MHA manga. BEING REWRITTEN.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was complete chaos.

Scientists were running around screaming, random objects were flying through the air; all the while Astro looked upon the scene, eyes wide. A rip through the air colored purple and green was pulling in everything around it; the wind surrounding it was incredibly strong. The room around him felt as if it were trembling, the ground shaking. Astro had no idea what to do. He couldn't believe it.

All this from one mistake.

 **. . .**

 _Dr. Tenma's penthouse - 2 hours earlier_

"I'm heading off to work to finish the project," Dr. Tenma called as he pulled on his lab coat. "I'll see you when I get home, kiddo?"

"Yeah, Dad! Be safe," Astro replied from the dining table, where he was finishing up his breakfast. Despite being a robot, he could still eat real food. When it entered where his stomach was supposed to be, it was vaporized instantly. Astro had thought that was cool. As his father left the penthouse apartment, Astro gulped down the remainder of his toast, and turned to stand, nearly knocking over Orrin in the process.

"Oof! Sorry, Astro!" Orrin apologized, nearly dropping the tray he held in his hands. "I'm a bit clumsy today, it seems."

"No worries, Orrin," Astro said with a smile. "See you later!" Hurrying up to his bedroom, he grabbed his backpack, opened his window, and took off into the sky.

It had been about two months since his encounter with Stone and the Peacekeeper. Metro City had remained on the Surface since then, the citizens of the city becoming more lax and inviting to the Surface people. His dad had also gotten his job back at the Ministry and placed Astro into Metro High School, with everyone being so happy to see him.

He frowned at the thought, remembering how most of them had treated Toby when he was still... Astro shook his head to clear it, placing a smile back on his face. It was only natural that everyone looked up to him. He _was_ the protector of Metro City, after all.

As he approached the school, students glanced up into the sky as he came in for a landing, smiles on their faces. Several of them came up to him as he touched down, bombarding him with questions. They had continuously done this every day since he saved them from the Peacekeeper, and he'd since then dubbed them his fanclub.

"Sorry, guys. I-I gotta get to class," Astro stammered, his hands out in apology as he hurried toward the building.

"Aw, you _always_ say that!" a student whined after him, watching as he disappeared into the doorway.

Wincing as he entered the building, he was immediately knocked over by a hunk of metal. With a shout in surprise, Astro fell to the ground and was met by dozens of licks to the face. Squinting one eye open, he recognized the hunk of metal as Trashcan from his friends on the Surface. "Hey, Trashcan!" Astro laughed, turning his face to the side to avoid any more frontal licks. "Yeah, I know you missed me, huh?"

"Sorry, Astro!"

Trashcan was quickly pulled off of Astro and whilst wiping off his face, he recognized Zane, one of his Surface friends. Zane, Widget, and Sludge were all adopted by Cora's parents after their reunion, and since then, both Zane and Cora attended Metro High School. The twins went respectfully to the grade school down the road.

"I was trying some things with his affection chips. Seems like they need a bit more work…" Zane chuckled as Trashcan whined in his grip, struggling to get to Astro with his tongue lolling out the side.

"Why'd you bring him to school, though?" Astro asked, standing and wiping himself off.

"I asked Mr. Moustachio if we could bring him in for a group study today," Cora answered, coming up and standing beside Zane. She bent over and pet Trashcan's head as she continued. "He's just so darn cute, no one can resist his charms!"

As the three of them laughed at Cora's words, the warning bell rang for class to begin. They all hurried off to Mr. Moustachio's class, Trashcan in tow.

 **. . .**

 _Ministry of Science - 30 minutes prior to event_

"Dr. Elefun, can you hand me the proton fabrillicator?" Dr. Tenma called from underneath a hefty-looking machine, his hand making a grabbing motion.

Dr. Elefun nodded from beside him in a chair, handing him a tiny stick object. Dr. Tenma took it in his hand and continued messing around underneath the machine. After a moment, Dr. Elefun sighed, his hands grasped tightly around his knees. "Are you _sure_ this is such a good idea, Tenma?" Dr. Elefun finally voiced, wiping the sweat off his brow quickly. "Making such an intricate machine… Don't you think we should've gotten the council's approval first-?"

"Nonsense, Elefun," Dr. Tenma interrupted, coming out from underneath the machine. "I told you this the last time, too. Hell, they'll be thanking me when this is over. This project is meant to advance us _farther_ into the unknown." He threw his hands in the air and continued. " _And_ with some of Astro's Blue Core energy, it'll work like a charm!"

"I'm only trying to help you understand that all things aren't always a guaranteed success," Dr. Elefun argued. "Look at what happened with the Peacekeeper!" He gasped and covered his mouth as soon as it came out, a flabbergasted look on his face. "Tenma, I-I didn't mean to-"

Silently, Dr. Tenma turned towards the machine and placed a hand on its side. "I know, Elefun. Believe me, I do."

 **. . .**

 _Testing room - 5 minutes prior to event_

The two Ministers of Science stood in the testing room, similar to the one they originally had prior to the Peacekeeper incident. A row of other scientists stood behind them, their clipboards at the ready to take notes. Excited whispers flew around the room as Dr. Tenma and Dr. Elefun prepared for their unveil.

"Are you ready, Elefun?" Dr. Tenma asked his colleague, turning to him with a smile.

"As I'll ever be. Let's just hope nothing goes wrong...for both our sakes," he murmured, careful not to let anyone else hear. The both of them turned back to the machine, which was hooked up to pipes that held some of Astro's Blue Core energy. They had asked to take a little earlier that week, and Astro had happily obliged.

With the press of a button, the Blue Core surged through the tubes and into the machine. It whirred to life, expressing an array of vibrant colors in hues of red, blue, and green. Dr. Tenma's eyes twinkled and his smile reached his ears. "Splendid! Wonderful!" he laughed, hands in the air to his sides.

Dr. Elefun narrowed his eyes in on the middle of the machine as he pressed a button on a remote. Nothing was happening. Beginning to become worried, he pressed the button a few more times before turning to Dr. Tenma. "Tenma, something's gone wrong," he whispered. "The button for the wormhole production isn't working."

"Are you sure?" Dr. Tenma murmured back, eyeing where Dr. Elefun was staring.

After a few moments of staring and listening to the two Ministers whisper back and forth, the scientists in the back became slightly antsy. "Uhh, is this all it can do?" one called. "Blink pretty colors?"

"I thought this was a wormhole generator!" another called.

Dr. Tenma and Dr. Elefun glanced at one another and with a nod, Dr. Tenma lifted the button to turn off the machine. But instead of turning off, the machine remained on, starting to become erratic. Dr. Tenma repeatedly smashed the button, but to no avail. "Elefun…!" he hissed, a terrified look in his eyes.

Dr. Elefun mirrored his same look as he turned to the two scientists operating the control panel. "Lower the shield, quickly!"

At this, the onlookers in the room began panicking, bracing themselves for whatever came next. The woman at the controls lowered the shield, and the room fell eerily quiet. Everyone was waiting for something to happen.

Like a flame to a dry forest, a brightly-colored flash lit up the room. Everyone raised their voices in alarm, covering their eyes. When the light dimmed to just a glow, Dr. Tenma lowered his arm and gasped.

The project had gone horribly wrong.

"Quickly! C-call Astro!" Dr. Tenma ordered, swinging his arm through the air. "Everyone evacuate! Hurry!"

Dr. Elefun turned to Dr. Tenma, a terrified look in his eyes. "And just what is Astro supposed to do about this?" he pondered, yelling above everyone's screams as they abandoned the room.

"He needs to destroy it," Dr. Tenma answered shakily as he stared at what had become of his project, "or we're all doomed."

 **. . .**

 _Metro High School - at time of event_

A vibration flared up in his pocket and he jumped in surprise. Everyone glanced at Astro, all knowing and dreading what that meant. Astro took the caller out of his pocket and looked at the message that displayed on screen:

 _Astro! Ministry! You must destroy it! Quickly!_

Astro's stomach dropped as he read the message from his father. What could have happened? Was he okay? Was everyone else okay?

"What's going on, Astro?" Mr. Moustachio called from the front of the room as he stood next to Trashcan on the desk. His hands were frozen in the air.

"I-I don't know," Astro stammered as he put away the caller. "But I have to go. Everyone, please remain indoors until further notice."

The room grew loud with the worried voices of the students as Astro hurried towards the door. His arm was yanked back, and he glanced back to see what had happened only to find Cora on the other end of it. She looked scared. "Please...be careful, Astro."

With an affirmative nod and a determined look, Astro hurried to the Ministry of Science.

 **. . .**

 _At the Ministry - at time of event_

Astro made his way around to the side of the machine, careful not to slip or lose his footing. If either of those happened he'd be sucked in, and he couldn't afford that. Astro formed his cannons and shot towards the machine. The energy bursts quickly veered away from his target and into the tear of space-time. Quickly, he realized this was not something he could fix. Or destroy.

He closed his eyes, reforming his cannons back into arms. Taking a deep breath, Astro braced himself for what he was about to tell his father - and everyone else, too. He ripped the caller from his pocket and quickly paged his dad, holding the device up to his ear.

"Astro?" his father's voice sounded from the other end of the tiny machine.

"Dad, th-there's nothing I can do. I-it's too powerful!" Astro said, his voice rising in panic.

"You can't destroy it?"

"No!" he replied, shrieking as some debris nearly missed his head. With a sigh, he continued. "You have to evacuate the city."

"What's that? You're cut - off!" Static. "As - o?!"

An idea sparked in his mind and he glanced around the room. There! He spotted it. A sharp piece of metal stuck between the control panel and another machine. "There's one last thing I can try. I-I have to try it." Grimacing, Astro continued on. "I _am_ the protector, after all."

"As - o, wait - ease! Ther - as - to be - another way! You can-!"

"Onward and upward, Dad."

 _Click._

A pang of loneliness swept over him, but he pushed it away as he stuffed the caller back in his pocket. A large crash sounded in front of him and he saw the control panel had tore out from its mount, making its way towards the space-time rift, as well as the panel he had been eyeing. _No!_

He jumped from his solid ground, activating his rockets to get to the panel before it entered the rift. Grabbing it from the air, he began tumbling over and over. Astro quickly righted himself with the use of his rockets as he made his way closer to his target. He raised the panel over his head, and with a shout full of emotion and all of his strength, he struck the machine just above the rift.

The panel met its mark, tearing through the center of the machine with sparks flying from the gash. The wind stopped abruptly and all of the debris cascading through the air crashed to the ground with a deafening sound. The rift slowly blinked out of existence, leaving the room terrifyingly quiet.

And Astro was nowhere to be found.

Time seemed to slow as the minutes ticked by. A lone drone flew into the room, aiming its camera around every which way. Seeing that it was safe to enter, the drone turned back towards the door - or where the door had once been - and beeped three times. Dr. Tenma poked his head out from around the corner and entered the room slowly, making his way over the fallen debris. Dr. Elefun and several of the people who had been in the same room followed.

"Astro?" Dr. Tenma called through the room. "Astro?!"

A chorus of wails calling for Dr. Tenma's lost son arose as the Minister hurried towards the machine. Seeing what had perspired, he inspected the machine closely, watching the sparks continue to fly from where the panel had entered its chest cavity. All of its lights were off, yet it still seemed to be glowing with the hue of the Blue Core.

Hyperventilating and his eyes wild, Dr. Tenma shouted,

"Where is my son?!"

 **. . .**

He had no idea what was happening.

Tumbling through the air while screaming, the last thing he remembered was shoving the sharp panel through the machine. He was surrounded by bright, vibrant colors in an array of patterns, nearly blinding him as he continued on. A tingling sensation crawled along his skin and inside of his body, causing him to shudder and leaving him feeling like he'd been on fire.

Astro tried to activate his rockets to right himself, but nothing happened. He began to feel sick to his stomach, the whirling motion and bright lights nearly too much for him to bear. Astro felt a pull surround him and he was abruptly yanked to the left and through the wall of bright colors.

The wind was knocked out of his lungs as he landed on something solid, tumbling head over heels before everything stopped. He groaned, groggily opening his eyes. His vision was blurry, yet he could barely make out dirt and grass in front of him. His head was pounding, his ears were ringing, and everywhere was sore - a burning pain, even. Using his arms, he propped himself up and turned upright, sitting cross-legged and holding onto his forehead. He blinked several times before a clear picture found its way to his eyes. Astro glanced around, his eyes widening in awe. He was in a very green and healthy forest surrounded by shrubs and undergrowth, as well as some flowers nearby. His breath caught in his throat.

 _Where am I?_

Looking down at the area in which he sat, he realized that his arms had been cut up and bruised, bleeding lightly. He screamed, holding his hands out to inspect them.

That was not normal for a robot.

"What is going on…?" he hissed to himself. A shrill noise sounded directly overhead followed by the flapping of wings, and Astro jumped up in surprise. "What was that?!" he shouted, his heart pounding.

Wait.

Heart?

Beginning to hyperventilate, eyes wide in horror, he drew his hands to his chest. He felt the thumps against his chest and his stomach dropped.

 _He had a heart._

"This can't be happening. This goes against _all_ laws of physics! A robot _can't_ become a human!" he laughed, falling back onto his bottom and looking at himself. "This is impossible." A bile rose in his throat and he gripped the front of his shirt and doubled over, releasing the contents of his stomach. Looking at what had just happened, he began to shake violently.

 _This must be a dream._ But it felt so real. _I can't be a human._ Yet here he was, a human who had been a robot mere minutes ago. Astro curled up into a ball and began rocking back and forth, head pressed firmly against his knees. He just wanted to wake up. This felt like some sort of nightmare.

Remembering where he was, he froze and shakily lifted his head. Where _was_ he, really? There were no healthy forests left in the world, let alone one of this size. Just how much more could he take on his plate? Taking a deep breath he rose to his feet, wobbling slightly. He fell against a tree and closed his eyes, feeling dizzy. The world was spinning around him, making him feel even more sick.

Hours seemed to pass by as he stood against the tree, waiting for the moment he could reopen his eyes. When all stopped wobbling, he slowly did so, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn't feel sick anymore. His whole body hurt, his heart was still pounding, his cuts stung - but other than that he was okay. Pulling himself together, he began through the forest, only to trip and fall over a tree root jutting from the ground. Astro face planted onto the forest floor, a new pain shooting through his body. "Dense forest. Great," he muttered, sitting up and rubbing his face. "Definitely."

A trickling sound met his ears and he turned towards the source, perplexed. The only thing he had ever heard before that mimicked that…

Astro scrambled to his feet, his mouth suddenly cotton-dry as thirst and hunger washed over him. He hurried towards the sound, his stomach clenching at the thought of water. As he reached the sound, he paused to take in its beauty. It was a large stream, cascading over rocks protruding from its bed, the sun glittering off the waves and creating sparkles as the spray splashed over his shoes.

It really was quite beautiful.

Following the water upstream, he reached a spot where it wasn't so rapid and fell to his knees. He cupped his hands and shoved them into the water, drinking it greedily. When he finished, he sat on the backs of his legs, taking the time to actually look at the forest around him. This was definitely nowhere near Metro City. From the lessons in school, he had always been taught that the humans polluted the Earth to the point of no return, and that's why they had created the floating oasis's that occupied the skies today. He knew that there had been people living on the Surface below Metro City, and the other oasis's for that matter, but there was nowhere in the world that housed this many trees and undergrowth in one place. Sure, there had been trees and grass and heavy growth over most of the things left on the Surface, but nothing like _this._ There had also been no fresh water source left anywhere on the planet, except what you made yourself, or what had been produced on the oasis.

If this truly was his world, Astro felt cheated.

But that wouldn't explain what had happened to him.

How could a robot have turned into a human? It was not even physically possible. A human could turn into a robot through surgery, yes, but there was absolutely nothing that made a robot become a human being. Nothing at all.

"So how?" Astro murmured to himself as he cupped his hands together in his lap, twiddling his fingers as his thoughts ran amok. Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath. From what his father had told him of his project, it had been to create a wormhole generator so that they could begin teleportation from one oasis to another, to save both time and resources. The tear in space-time that happened instead would then theoretically make everything get sucked into it like a black hole. A black hole tears everything apart molecule by molecule, but combining that information with what the machine was supposed to have done… _Resulting in a failed teleportation and possibly rearranged molecules._ Astro gasped, opening his eyes and smacking his fist down into his open palm. "That's it!" he voiced out loud.

The only possible explanation was that his molecules - or DNA - had been rearranged, and he had been teleported somewhere on the planet, possibly to a different time.

But which time? And where? He had to find out.

Astro glanced down into the stream at his reflection. He touched the top of his head as he realized that his hair had been tinted dark brown and it was messy. Not at all how his hair was supposed to look like. He traced his fingers down the length of his face, stopping at his cheeks, which were flushed red by the excess flow of blood to his brain. He shivered at the thought, his skin prickling and the hair on his forearms raising. He rubbed his arms up and down quickly, trying to get the feeling off of him. Cupping his hands in the water once more, he rinsed off his arms and areas that were cut, also taking the time to splash his face - just to be doubly sure it wasn't a dream.

With a sigh, he stood and glanced around. He needed to find civilization, but he had no idea where to even begin to look. This forest could go on for miles, and he was starting to feel hungry. His stomach growled a bit and he held onto it with a wince. He'd have to get used to that feeling.

Using his quick thinking skills, Astro glanced up into the tops of the trees. If he climbed to the top of one of the tallest trees, he would be able to see where he was. Determined, he hurried towards a tall tree with low branches and began to climb, his muscles crying out from the effort. His forehead broke into a sweat as he reached for each branch, carefully placing his feet on the ones below.

His foot slipped and he let out a wail, falling onto a thick branch below with a swift blow to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Wood and leaves scattered around him as they fluttered to the ground. It was then that he realized just how high he had already climbed. He groaned, scrambling back into a climbing position. He needed to be more careful.

Continuing in his climb, he grabbed onto a thick branch above his head. A few more moments passed and he finally reached the top of the tree. He carefully stuck his head out of the foliage, gasping at the sight that befell him. It was beautiful. The forest went on for what seemed like forever to the west and the north, and he turned to the south to see that the forest thinned out and there were…

Houses?

They were unlike any of the houses he'd seen before. All of the homes in Metro City were apartment buildings, none like the one-story buildings that he saw. To the east, he noticed a city's outline in the distance and his heart dropped. This couldn't be his time at all. It had to be some point in the past, or maybe the future? Either way, he needed to find out quickly and get back home as soon as he could. Hopefully, if it was at some point in the past, they would still have the technology he needed in order to create a device to get him home. Even though time travel was still theoretical.

After climbing down from the tree, he made a boltline for the east, hopping over undergrowth and trailing around rocks and trees. Astro paused to catch his breath, wiping the sweat from his brow and placing his hands on his knees. Looking back at how far he had come, he shook his head. Being a human was harder than it looked.

Astro was dripping with sweat as he finally reached the end of the forest. Breathing heavily, he bent over once more to catch his breath. This was definitely something he did _not_ want to do again.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" a woman's voice chirped from in front of him.

Astro glanced up to see a young woman in her 30's, her hair jet-black and her eyes a vivid green. Her hair swung towards him as she leaned down to talk to him. He was taken aback slightly by her dialect. She was speaking Japanese, sure, but it was more...northern? He couldn't quite place it. "U-uh...yeah, I-I'm fine," Astro stammered, regaining his composure.

It seemed that the woman was surprised by his dialect as well, for she replied, "Ah, you're not from around here, are you?"

Something nagged at the back of his head, but he pushed the thought away. "I'm not sure, actually," he answered. "What city is this?"

The woman seemed slightly weirded out by his reply, but she answered nonetheless. "It's a prefecture named Musutafu, just outside of Tokyo."

" _T-Tokyo?!"_ Astro squeezed out, his voice tiny and his eyes bulging out of his head. _Okay, this is worse than I thought. If this is Tokyo, then I should be back in the mid 20th century. They might not have the technology I need, but I can find Mt. Sofia and…_

Wait, where _was_ Mt. Sofia? He hadn't seen it anywhere, and yet he should have seen it while he was in that tree. From the history books he had read, Mt. Sofia had been very close to Tokyo.

Sudden realization slapped him in the face and he stared blankly at the ground. "Wh...what year is this?" he asked.

"Er...2018?" The woman gasped and clapped her hands together. "Oh my, are you perhaps a time traveler? Oooh, this is exciting!"

Astro barely heard her as she continued on, zoning completely out. His heart was pounding in his chest. It was the same exact year as back home. Mt. Sofia didn't exist. Tokyo was still here. The world was not polluted. There were still healthy forests. There was fresh water everywhere.

He was in an alternate reality.

* * *

 **A/N: Please leave me a review! Reviews give me motivation to write and therefore the content within the chapter is much better! I've written up to chapter 3 already, but I won't release the next chapter until I keep my 2 chapter cushion. Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll stick with the story!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Sweetie? Hello?"

A hand was placed on Astro's shoulder and he jumped, scrabbling backwards and falling over. The woman gasped, her hands shooting to her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!"

Astro groaned, sitting up and rubbing his backside with a wince. "It's fine…" he murmured.

She held out a hand to him and he took it, standing upright and holding onto his neck in embarrassment. "So what year are you from then?"

Taken aback, Astro had completely forgotten that she thought he was a time traveler. "Uh… Well, actually, I...think I'm from an alternate reality."

"Ehhh?!" she exclaimed, zooming up to him and grabbing him by the shoulders. Astro's eyes widened in surprise and he went rigid with shock. "That's amazing!"

"Not really…" he muttered, more to himself than the woman.

"What kind of an alternate reality?" she asked, slightly shaking him back and forth. "Is it better? Worse? The same? Slightly different?" Astro stared blankly at the woman as she continued to bombard him with questions, her eyes sparkling at the prospect of such a thing happening. "Do you have Quirks? Or do they not exist?" She let go of him and held her mouth in astonishment, letting a gasp escape around her hand. "A world where Quirks don't exist…! It could be good and bad, I suppose…"

Astro blinked, not even knowing what was happening. He quickly cleared his throat, recomposing himself. "What are...Quirks?"

The woman went right back to rambling after he spoke, holding herself in a terrified manor. "Oh, my gosh, Quirks don't exist in your reality?! How do you cope? Are there lots of villains? Do you even _have_ villains?"

Astro blinked and held out his hands in front of him in apology. "I-I'm really sorry, miss, but I...have to get going," he interrupted her. His stomach was clenching and his mind was reeling as all this new information was jumbling through him. A sudden growl from his belly brought him out of his thoughts and he held onto his neck with a forced smile. "You see...I gotta find something to eat," he told her.

"Oh, my apologies!" the woman said with a quick bow. "You must be starving! Tell me, sweetie, do you have enough money to get by?"

"I have a few Metrons," he voiced, but broke off as he realized she looked even more confused. Astro quickly let out a chuckle and waved his hand in front of him. "Ah, I forgot. Sorry… This is all so new to me…"

"Well, I'd like to give you some money to help you by," the woman told him, digging in her pocket for her wallet. "We use yen in this reality, and since you don't have any-"

"Oh, no, I could never take that from you!" Astro hurriedly replied, shaking his head.

"Nonsense, I insist! It'll be a weight off my shoulders if I know you'll be okay for a while," the woman said, taking a couple bills out of her wallet. "Plus, I have plenty to spare since my husband is a major hero. He won't mind." The woman winked and handed them to Astro, closing his hands for him.

Astro blinked. Everything was so confusing; his mind had never felt so muddled. He opened his hand and looked at the bills, about having a heart attack. "Th-thank you...really," Astro stammered, holding them in his hands like a delicate animal. "Uh...how do I get into the city?"

"If you just keep going straight down this road, take a right, left, and then straight, you'll reach a stretch where there are restaurants and shops dotting the entire street!" She smiled and clasped her hands together in front of her. "I wish you well. Be safe on your journey."

"I will try," Astro replied with a smile, quickly closing his fist and stuffing the money in his pocket. "Thank you again. Really. I won't forget this." Astro ran off down the street and the woman waved after him with a smile on her face calling her farewells.

After running for a while and following the woman's directions, he arrived at the stretch that she had mentioned. Coming to a stop, he took in his surroundings, watching everyone walk along the street and carry on their days as usual. Astro was simply in awe. Everything was just so different and breathtaking. It was like being on a vacation on a different oasis - something he'd never even thought of doing before. A pang of loneliness hit him as he remembered everyone back home. How _would_ he get back home? He shook his head to clear it, standing up straight and clenching his fist in front of him determinedly. He couldn't think about that. He had to keep a positive outlook on his situation, even if it hurt deep inside. They wouldn't want him to be sad, or to worry about them. They could take care of themselves. With a nod, he made his way down the street.

Retro cars dotted the sides of the streets where they sat parked, and he took them in with awe. _They don't fly!_ This reality must not have yet figured out how to build a successful flying model. As he continued down the street, he stopped in front of a flashy restaurant, taking it in. The window held some pretty tasty-looking models of the food inside and his mouth watered. As he glanced through the menu on a pedestal outside of the front door, his stomach grumbled. _Quite a bit of seafood,_ he remarked to himself. _But still somewhat the same._

Entering the restaurant, he was greeted by a friendly doorman with brown fur covering his entire body, an elongated face, and big floppy ears.

Eh?

Fur? Floppy ears?!

"Just one today, Sir?" the man asked him, pointing into the restaurant. Astro didn't know what to say or do; he just stood there, a dumbfounded look on his face. His eye twitched a little. "Sir?" the man asked again.

"D-d-d-dog head," Astro managed, pointing a shaky finger at the man.

The restaurant grew quiet and everyone looked at the entrance to the restaurant. The man became visibly upset, crossing his arms. "Listen, are you going to eat here or are you going to keep making fun of my Quirk?"

There was that word again: Quirk. Shaking himself out of his trance, he held out his hands apologetically. "I'm very sorry. My deepest apologies," Astro replied with a slight chuckle. "I'm new around here, and your...Quirk surprised me, is all."

The dog-man eyed him for a moment longer, before letting out a deep sigh and visibly relaxing. "No, _I'm_ sorry. I shouldn't have gotten all flustered like that. Let's start that again, shall we?" He cleared his throat and once again pointed into the restaurant. "Table for one, Sir?"

"Yes, please," Astro said, smiling. The restaurant soon went back to normal as the doorman brought him to a table with only one seat, facing out the window.

"Your server will be right with you," the dog-man said as he handed him a menu, going back to his station at the front of the restaurant. It was then that Astro realized the man also had a tail.

Blinking, he quickly turned and glanced over the menu again in embarrassment. Once he pinpointed what he wanted to eat - something called pork gyudon - he tapped the counter with both hands, his fingers drumming the surface as he looked out of the window. This reality was definitely different, less sterile-looking and more retro. But that wasn't a bad thing, no. He just had to get used to it was all, for the time being. His thoughts flew to how he would get back home. He would have to build some sort of dimensional machine, but how? Dimensional travel was still a thing of the distant future, not at all even possible.

 _But you got here, didn't you?_ a little voice sneered in the back of his mind. _And now you're stuck here for whoever knows how long._

A frown planted itself on his face. How long _would_ he be here for? Weeks? Months? Even years? _However long it takes me to build the machine,_ he answered himself. _I won't stop until I do._ A single thought flew into his mind, and he winced. What was stopping his father from going mad with depression again?

A heavy but silent sigh escaped him as he put his hands on the side of his face, zoning out as he watched the daily life mill about their days outside. He spotted a few more people with some physical deformities, like the doorman, but they were all different in some way or another. One girl with a claw for a hand, a pair of animal ears or parts here and there… He pumped his leg up and down on the peg of the chair, his anxiety building. Just what were these Quirks, and how were they significant?

A clunk to his right startled him and he nearly jumped out of his skin. "Oh, sorry," a young teenager voiced as he set down a jug of water and a glass, looking down at him with very vibrantly-colored, ice-blue eyes. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Nah...it's fine," Astro answered, eyeing the water thirstily. He envied this reality for being so lax about their environment.

"So what would you like today?" the waiter asked, his pen at the ready to take down the order.

 _Ink pens!_ And paper! He remembered with a jolt how Toby had used to love studying retro things, and it had carried over to Astro, despite them liking slightly different things in general. But it still felt the same to him. "Uh, I'll have the pork gyudon and miso combo, please," Astro said, handing the waiter the menu.

The waiter nodded after scribbling on the paper and taking the menu. "Pork gyudon and miso combo!" he yelled out, slightly startling Astro. The cooks in the kitchen shouted an affirmative as they began preparation for his order.

Letting out a sigh, he turned back to the window and let his thoughts go back to Quirks. They seemed like some kind of appearance-altering disease, from what he'd seen. And from the looks of it, it seemed like not everyone had it. But the way that woman from earlier had been talking about Quirks, it had seemed as if they were almost everywhere.

As he continued to contemplate, the restaurant began stirring up as a trio of men in brightly-colored costumes walked in. They kind of reminded Astro of superheroes from those old vintage comic books. His jaw dropped as he realized one looked as if he were made completely of wood.

"Well, to what do we owe this honor, heroes?" the dog-man chuckled with a smile, greeting and guiding the trio into the restaurant. "Come to give us a scolding, have you?"

"Not at all!" the man with shock-white hair and gauntlets on his arms laughed. "Just another day's work." Lowering his voice, he added, "There've been reports of a disturbance in the electromagnetic fields surrounding Musutafu. Have you seen anything out of the ordinary?"

Astro froze and quickly turned around, eyes wide. He continued to listen as the doorman shook his head slowly. "Not that I've seen, no. We'll definitely let the police know if we see anything."

"Thank you, good man!" the man exclaimed, slamming a hand onto the dog-man's shoulder. He winced in pain as the three of them took their seats in the corner of the restaurant. "Bring us the usual!" he called into the kitchen. All of the cooks shouted their affirmative as they worked on the heroes' orders.

 _They're looking for me!_ Astro blanched, glancing at them out of the corner of his eye. The wooden man looked up and he quickly looked away, feeling his eyes staring into his skull. _A disturbance in the electromagnetic field? Just what else could that possibly mean other than me being in this reality?_

Distracted in his thoughts, he didn't notice the waiter come up to him with his meal. "Here you are, Sir," he said, plopping the tray down in front of him.

Slightly startled, Astro smiled and dipped his head respectfully. As the waiter vanished off to the heroes' table, Astro eyed his meal. It was rice topped with some veggies and meat, and a bowl of greenish soup. Taking a slow bite, he let out a surprised squeak, gathering the attention of some others surrounding him. This food was unlike anything he'd ever tasted! The food in Metro City had all been genetically modified from what people had said things tasted like back before oasis's existed. There weren't any animals living in Metro City, only on the Surface, but even then they were rare to find. Astro wolfed down the rest of his meal, and the atmosphere was soon back to normal.

He let out a sigh, pushing his tray forward. Why didn't they have food - actual food like _this_ \- back home? He wished that animals were plentiful. Pigs or chickens wouldn't be that hard to keep track of.

A chorus of laughs rang up from the back of the restaurant where the three heroes were sitting. They all wore huge smiles as they held their stomachs, the man with the gauntlets banging the table and gathering the attention of the others around them. If it were anyone else Astro was sure there would be a fuss, but since these three people seemed extremely important, he doubted anyone would complain too much. Those were true emotions. True behavioral instincts. Nothing at all like what Metro City was like today - all gray, bleak, and emotionless. Metro City had been shaping up slowly ever since they let the Surface dwellers back, though.

"All jokes aside," the white-haired man said, "we did great work today. Three villains detained, and countless lives saves!" He placed both hands roughly on his two companions' shoulders. "Drinks on me tonight!" The other two cheered loudly, their arms in the air in celebration.

Astro paid and quickly took his leave, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. The woman had given him quite a bit of money, and he wasn't sure what to do with it. It would definitely last him a while when he needed it. As he walked down the street, his thoughts ran amok. He needed to find out everything about this world as quickly as possible - such as the history, economy, and significant events. He also needed to figure out exactly what these so-called Quirks were. From the information gathered from the woman and from his own two eyes, the only thing he could conclude of it was that Quirks were genetic mutations. But he knew that was not the entire answer.

He suddenly bumped into someone from behind and fell onto his bottom with a shout. "Ah, sorry!" he apologized, rubbing his head and glancing at who he had just bumped into. The man wore disheveled clothing, his hair ebony black. As he turned around, Astro spotted a murderous gleam in his singular yellow eye as he gazed upon him, his other eye hidden behind an eyepatch. The color drained from Astro's face as he realized that this was an evil, evil man. "S-stay back! I'm warning you!" he told the man, scrambling back to his feet.

The man took a step into the light and removed his hands from his pockets. Astro could see countless scars riddled over them and he gasped. "Are ya gonna 'pologize?" the man growled, his voice as gritty as gravel. "Or do I have to beat it outta ya?"

Instinct kicking in, Astro brought his arms forward to have his cannons at the ready, in case the man tried anything. As nothing happened, he remembered with a pang that he was no longer a robot, and had nothing to defend himself with. He stared at his hands in dismay.

"Ah, so ya think ya can get away with tryin' ta use yer Quirk on me, eh?" the man growled, rolling his shoulders and his neck.

 _Use my Quirk?_ "Ah, n-no! I was just-!"

The man lunged forward and slammed Astro into the wall of the alley, holding onto his collar. Dizziness swung in as his head smacked against the bricks; he hadn't even realized he was in an alley. "I think ya oughta pay me for my troubles," the man whispered, his voice as deadly as venom. Astro's eyes widened in fear as the man's free hand changed into a blade. He pressed it softly against Astro's throat and his heart thrummed wildly against it. "Give me everything you have. Now."

"Now, hold on a minute!" he tried, his hero self shining through, even though he was terrified.

"There's no use tryin' anythin', lil' man. I'll just kill ya anyway, _and_ any of yer lil' buddies that might be hangin' around 'ere." The man's eye glinted maliciously.

Something snapped within Astro and he narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on the man's arm, even if he was struggling for breath. Anyone who killed just for fun deserved the worst thing imaginable. "Really? You'll kill me? You'll kill anyone else to gain what you want?"

"Ya don't think I'll do it?!" the man said, raising his voice to a shout. He pressed the blade harder onto his throat, breaking the skin and drawing blood.

With a gasp, Astro gripped the man's arm harder. A blue energy surged through his fingertips and burned the arm that gripped his collar. The alley man screamed and dropped Astro, stumbling away. He grasped the arm that was just burnt, his bladed arm now back to normal. "My arm! Ya little shit!"

Astro's hands scrambled to his throat and felt for the cut. When he was satisfied it wasn't deep, he drew his hands back in front of him, the blue bolts of energy just dying away. _What was that?_ He barely had time to think before the man charged at him with a shout, both of his arms bladed. He swung through the air with his right arm, and Astro quickly jumped out of the way, the blade nearly missing his chest. He hit the brick wall of the building in the alleyway with his blades, causing chunks of brick to scatter over the ground. He jumped again, basically frothing at the mouth as he continued slashing at the teen. He slashed the wall of the building again, this time getting stuck. Astro tried to use the weird energy bolts again, but nothing was happening. "Come on!" he growled to himself, staring at his hands. The man yanked his arm free from the wall and slowly advanced towards him, bladed arms glinting in the half light.

"What's wrong, 'lil boy, huh? Ya scared? Aww...are ya gonna cry?" he mocked, standing in front of Astro. His eyes narrowed just as Astro's own widened. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick."

Astro fell back onto the ground and cowered under his arms just as the man slashed downward with both blades. This was it. He was going to die in a strange reality without any closure. A few fearful heartbeats passed as Astro realized that nothing happened. Just as he shakily removed his arms away from his face, a loud crash sounded in front of him.

A couple of younger people in costumes were now in the alleyway. One, who had spiky green hair and a lime green outfit, was holding the man into the ground. He was buzzing with some sort of electricity as he glanced up towards his friend. "Todoroki!" he called.

"Yeah," the other one answered. He wore an outfit that covered him half in ice, and the other half was free of anything except for the rest of his white costume. His hair was both white and red, a scar covering his face where the red hair stood. It was then that Astro saw the alleyway was mostly covered in ice. "Are you okay?" the boy named Todoroki asked as he hovered over him, his hand out.

"U-uh...yeah, thanks," Astro replied with a nod, taking his hand and standing back up.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Just a little dazed is all," Astro answered. "And shocked."

Nodding, Todoroki turned back to his green-haired friend. "Midoriya, let the police know what has happened. We might need an ambulance, too," he added with a wince in Astro's direction.

The man laughed darkly as he lay outstretched on the ground. "Got 'im good, eh?"

Trembling with fear, Astro looked down at himself. His pants were all cut up and bloody and he couldn't help but let out little squeaks of horror, seeing a small puddle of blood surrounding him. "Wh-what…?"

"You're gonna be fine, kid. Help's on the way. Deep breaths," Todoroki answered, his hands out to calm Astro.

Astro's legs gave out underneath him and he fell forward, landing on the front of his hands, splashing the blood up onto his face. His breath came in rapid gasps as he began to have a panic attack. "Hey! Hey!" Todoroki shouted, but Astro could hardly hear him as dizziness swamped him, pulling him into darkness.

 **. . .**

"There's no records of him anywhere in our database," a voice was saying, seeming as if it were far away. "He doesn't exist."

"That's impossible!" another voice called out.

"Well, well… It appears as if some questions need to be answered when he awakens," a third voice said.

Falling back unconscious, Astro awoke in an all-black room. The only light was coming from himself, shining an eerie blue. "Hello?" he called, his voice echoing. He looked around him, growing worried and concerned with each pass by. "Anyone?"

 _"Astro!"_ a voice called through the darkness.

He whipped around, straining to see through the darkness. "Hello? Who's there?! Dad?!"

 _"Where is my son?!"_

"Dad!" Astro screamed, running towards where the voice originated. He ran for what felt like hours, but he was getting nowhere. He paused running to catch his breath, tears brimming his eyes. "Dad…"

He awoke with a gasp, sitting up in bed and grabbing the sheets in front of him hard. He leaned over to calm himself down, grabbing the front of his shirt. _Dad…_ He squinted his eyes shut tightly, emotions welling up from the deepest parts of him. Would he ever see them again?

"I see you're awake," a voice said from across the room.

Started, Astro glanced up to see a man in scrubs with a clipboard in his hand. He eyed him warily as he walked over to him. "Where am I?" Astro asked.

"At the hospital," the man answered, sitting in a chair next to his bed. "You had a nasty run-in with a villain and got hurt, so some students from UA took you to the hospital."

"Oh," he murmured, remembering what had happened back in that alley, grimacing as he was reminded of his wounds on his legs.

"We here at the hospital have just a few questions for you, if you wouldn't mind answering them?" the doctor asked, raising his clipboard and taking out a pen. Astro eyed him as he clicked the top of the pen and brought it to the paper. "First off," he continued, "what is your name?"

"Astro," he answered, and the doctor scribbled it down.

"Is that your family name, or…?"

"Oh, uh, Tenma," Astro replied. "Tenma, Astro." _They must still use formal speech here._

"Okay, Tenma," the doctor continued, looking him straight in the eye. "Can you tell me where you're from?"

"Japan."

"City?"

"Metro City," he replied, and then inwardly grimaced. _Crap!_

"Oh, really?" he asked, tapping the pen on the clipboard and narrowing his eyes. "Hm. Interesting." Astro arched his brow, wondering what he was thinking. "Any living relatives?"

"Just my father."

"Do you have a Quirk?"

"No, Sir," he answered, hoping that a Quirk was what he thought it was.

Scribbling down on the clipboard, the doctor nodded. "Mm-hmm… I see, just what I was waiting for."

Confused, Astro opened his mouth to ask him what he meant, but the doctor quickly rose to his feet and set the clipboard down on the table. He leaned over Astro, making him feel uncomfortable. "Uh… S-Sir?"

"What are you hiding?" he asked him, completely taking Astro off guard. "I can tell you're lying."

"What do you mean?" Astro asked, watching as the doctor walked off towards the cupboards on the other side of the room.

"We searched you up in our database upon your arrival," the doctor replied, keeping his back turned to him as he rummaged through the cupboard. "As per policy, you see. You didn't come up after you were scanned." He turned back to him, a device in his hand. "Almost as if you didn't exist."

Astro's stomach dropped as the doctor slowly made his way back to him. Heart pounding, Astro remembered at the restaurant when the hero with the gauntlets said there had been a disturbance in the electromagnetic field. What would they do to him, once they found out? Would he be thrown in jail, never to see the light of day, and never able to return back home?

"Care to explain?" he continued, confirming Astro's thoughts, turning on the machine he held in his hand as he sat back in the chair.

"What are you going to do to me?" Astro whispered, his voice shaking as he eyed the machine.

The doctor followed his eyes and let out a hearty laugh, breaking off all the tension Astro thought there had been. "This? This is just a machine that measures your brainwaves, heart rate, all of that stuff," he chuckled, waving the device slightly. "This will also tell me what Quirk you have, and why you lied to me."

"Oh," Astro sighed with relief. The doctor was confused by his reply, most likely expecting a different answer. "I can assure you I don't have a Quirk, Sir."

As the doctor ordered him to sit on the edge of his bed, Astro glanced at his legs, all bandaged up and slightly bloody. He winced, wanting to look away, but he couldn't seem to remove his eyes from them. The doctor swept the machine from Astro's head all the way down to his foot. It beeped, and he retracted it with a smirk. "You see, the reason I knew you were lying was because my Quirk is a lie detector," he answered. "I was supposed to be a detective, but I couldn't pass the physical test…" he grumbled, looking slightly sad.

Astro blinked in confusion. "So...Quirks _aren't_ physical deformities?"

"Oh, some of them are." He perked right back up with a smile. "But they're mostly what people in the olden days called superpowers. And can you imagine a world without Quirks?" he laughed. "Because I sure can't."

 _You're telling me,_ Astro thought with an inward roll of his eyes.

"And just a bit different from the old days," the doctor continued, waiting for the results to come up on the screen, "Quirks are passed down genetically from parent to child, and they're usually the same as the parent." His eyes lit up as the machine let out a beep. "And this here is telling me you're missing a joint in your pinky toe."

"A-and what does that mean?" Astro asked, his heart pounding in his ears.

"You have a Quirk, and a powerful one at that." The doctor turned the screen to show him the strand of DNA, where it was highlighted in certain parts. Astro blinked in confusion as he took the screen back away. "It's an emitter type. If you didn't know about it, why did my Quirk detect a lie?" The doctor rubbed his chin in thought. "Can you try it now?"

"What do you mean, try it?" Astro pondered.

"Well, use your Quirk." When Astro looked a bit scared, the doctor laughed and waved his hand through the air. "Don't worry, all hospital rooms and items within are Quirk proof - for the most part, at least."

Looking down at his hands, he frowned. A long moment passed before Astro asked, "Er...how do I use it?"

"Did your parents have Quirks? If so, try using one of theirs," he replied with a nod.

Thinking back to what had happened in the alleyway, Astro frowned. He had burnt the man's arm with his hand after a strange blue energy shot out of it. It had been unlike anything he'd ever seen - but then again, there were a lot of things he never thought he'd see. _Blue energy… The Blue Core!_ Could that mean he had _absorbed_ the Blue Core while his DNA had been rearranged? He had to admit they did appear to be very similar in both power and appearance, but this would mean that he'd have to learn how to use the Blue Core all over again. Concentrating harder, Astro closed his eyes as he held his arms in front of him. A blue glow shone under his eyelids and he reopened them, gasping. Blue wisps of energy flickered around his hands, resembling fire and lightning combined.

"Oh, wow, very neat! A fire Quirk is a powerful one. Kind of reminds me of Endeavor," the doctor mumbled, but Astro barely heard him, his grin stretching to his ears.

He was a real superhero!

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for your follows and reviews! I'd like to see more reviews please, as they help me write! I want to see at least 5 reviews for this chapter so I can post chapter 3 quicker. Let's make that happen!**

 **Also to the anonymous guest, sorry, but I have enough on my plate as it is ^^; While I appreciate your nice long review, it doesn't help me when you don't review about my story, and instead give me your idea for writing. If you want it written so badly, why don't you write it? :) I'm sure you'll do fine.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Okay, so!" the doctor said with a cough, pressing his pen back to the clipboard. "For record-keeping purposes, what would you like to call your Quirk?"

Mystified by his newfound power, Astro barely heard him. "What?"

"Your Quirk; what are you going to call it?"

Astro's concentration ebbed until the blue wisps vanished altogether. With an inward pout, Astro turned to the doctor. "It's called the Blue Core."

The doctor stared at him for a moment, their intense gazes holding. He broke it off quickly and wrote down on the clipboard. "Interesting. I quite like that. So, continuing on, who are you and what are you doing here?"

Taken aback by his sudden remark, Astro blinked. "Er...well, my name's Astro and I-"

"No, I got all that," the man interrupted, waving his hand with the pen through the air. "I meant you. You're not from this world. Am I right?"

"H-how did you-?" Astro blanched, gripping the edge of the bed sharply. As the doctor smirked, Astro's eyes darkened. "You knew all along, didn't you."

Chuckling to himself, the doctor twirled the pen in his hand. "Well, it sort of occurred to me when you said you were from Metro City. There are no such places in Japan - for now, at least." He leaned forward and Astro pulled back. "Are you from the future?"

"I guess you could say that," he muttered, averting his eyes from the intense gaze of the doctor.

"You're quite the interesting fellow," the man laughed, "never giving too much away, yet still managing to tell the truth. We can do this all day." The doctor broke off and stared down at Astro, who gazed back at him defiantly. "But we won't."

As he stood and took the machine back to the cupboard, Astro blinked in surprise. "You mean you're not going to hand me over to the police?"

"Why would I? If you're here on purpose or by accident, it's of no matter to me," the doctor answered, stuffing the little machine back where it went. "I'm just an overly-curious bystander in this affair."

"So...does this mean I'm free to go?" Astro asked, his eyes brightening.

"Well, I didn't say that, now did I?" The boy's face sagged as the doctor continued. "You'll still have to be discharged. Annnnd since you have no health insurance…"

 **. . .**

Astro stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets as he walked out of the front door of the hospital, grumbling to himself. He had spent nearly all of the cash the woman had given him on the bill. Just how was he supposed to get by now? Plus, his favorite pair of pants had gotten ruined by that villain, so he had been lent a pair by the staff. They weren't super comfortable, but they were pants nonetheless.

 _I'm really disliking these new emotions,_ he pondered to himself. _I've never felt this much displeasure towards someone while I was a robot._ Taking the remaining money out of his pocket, he frowned. _Only 2,000 yen left. What am I supposed to do with this?_

"Psst. Hey! Kid!"

Astro froze and glanced around him. "Over here!" the voice hissed again. Astro turned towards the voice and saw an older gentleman - albeit on the scruffy side - beckoning to him from an alleyway.

"Ohhh, no. I'm not going down any more alleys, thanks," Astro muttered, beginning to walk away.

"I saw you looking at your money. I know those eyes," the man hissed again. "I know a way that you can make cash."

Astro froze and took a few steps back, staring at the old man with curiosity. "Oh, yeah? What?"

"How would you like to prove your strength?" the man chuckled, slightly crazed. "A test of wits?"

"I...don't exactly know how to use my Quirk," Astro admitted, and the man's eyes glittered.

"The more you use something, the more it grows stronger!" he remarked with a smile. Astro grimaced when he noticed most of the man's teeth were missing.

"Er...no thanks. I, uh...have to be somewhere," he said quickly, pointing in two different directions. With a forced laugh, he stuffed the money back in his pocket and hurriedly walked away.

"If you change your mind, you know where to find me!" the man called after Astro.

Out of his peripheral vision he watched the old man vanish into thin air. Horrified, he picked up his pace.

The sun was quickly setting by the time he stopped walking. He didn't even know where he was heading, really. He had wanted to get away from that man as soon as possible. There was no telling what he was implying. Astro shuddered at the thought, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets.

Sighing to himself, he dragged on. He had nowhere to sleep, no food to eat; his mind was buzzing with everything that happened today. He brought a hand to his forehead as his migraine surged on, his tiredness setting in. _I might be forced to sleep on the street tonight…_ he thought sadly. _Although, there's quite a big risk with that in this reality…_ His mind wandered back to the woman who had so graciously helped him along his journey. _Maybe I can find her again and ask if I could stay with her…_ He shook his head and squinted his eyes closed. _No! I couldn't ask that much of one person, especially one that's been so kind already._

He sighed, his eyes darting to a bench on the side of the park that he stood in. _I guess here's as good as anywhere else._ Stumbling over to his sleeping place, he lied down, his eyes drooping heavily as he drifted into unconsciousness.

 **. . .**

"Hey, kid, wake up."

Astro blinked his eyes open groggily, the light nearly blinding him. Day had come. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eye as he took in the man in front of him. He was dressed in a police outfit and he didn't look happy.

"This is a no-sleeping zone," he grumbled, pointing to a sign on a tree near the bench. Tired, Astro glanced over at the sign with a frown. "If you don't leave, I'll have to take you in."

Suddenly more awake, Astro shook his hands out in front of him. "Okay, I got it. I'll move. Sorry."

"Besides kid, where are your parents?" he asked as Astro stood and wiped the dirt and dust off his clothes.

Thoughts drifting hazily over the past day's antics, he shrugged. "Around."

"Listen kid, I didn't come here to get smart-mouthed. If you got somewhere else to be, you'd better get going," he growled, waving his hand through the air.

"Got it…" Astro grumbled, fixing the collar of his favorite jacket. At this rate, even that would get ruined too. The officer watched him leave the park, his hands in his jacket pockets.

 _I can't keep doing this,_ Astro thought miserably. _I can't be homeless._ His hand slipped into his pants pocket and he fiddled around with the bills subconsciously. _I do need more money…_ _Maybe I should go back to where that man was and ask him what he meant._ He shuddered at the thought, steeling his courage. _I really have no choice if I want to get anywhere._

Smoke formed in front of him and he let out a shout as the old man materialized within the cloud. "It seems you do need my help, boy," he chided with a smile. Astro was reminded yet again about his ugly mug.

"Have you been following me?" Astro asked, not really that surprised. When the man opened his mouth to answer, Astro waved his hands in the air. "Never mind, I really don't want to know."

"I've come to bring you a solution to your money troubles," he went on, covering the side of his mouth with one hand. "I run an underground Quirk fighting ring. If you win, you get all the cash stacked on you."

Astro blinked, contemplating what he was saying before shaking his head. "I already told you I don't know how to use my Quirk. I'm a late-bloomer," he added on, remembering what the doctor had said as he was being discharged.

" _Remember, you're a late-bloomer. Tell no one else about why you're here. There could be trouble,"_ he had warned.

"Relax!" the old man chuckled, placing a wrinkly hand on his shoulder. Astro slightly recoiled. "You'll get all the training you need before you begin. Even a free bed - and meals! We treat all of our fighters the best."

A tiny voice in the back of his head was screaming at him to run away as far as he could, but he pushed it away. The thought of a free bed, meals, and possibly a shower was too much, overwhelming his entire being. Astro furrowed his brow, a smile forming. "I accept."

"Excellent," the old man said, cracking another toothless smile.

"Hey! You!" Both of them turned, spotting the police officer running towards them. "Stop right there! You're wanted for a violation of-!"

"Time to run!" he rasped. Astro barely had time to comprehend what was happening as the man tightly gripped both of his shoulders and they were immediately enveloped in smoke.

As the both of them disappeared before his eyes, the officer drew to a stop with a sigh. "Damn it. Fujikage will never let me hear the end of this…" He scratched at his chin and turned away, trying to pretend nothing happened.

The shock of a landing shook Astro out of his daze and he tumbled, falling to the ground. The floor around him was old linoleum, the edges of the tiles sticking up in places - yet not sharp enough to stab someone's foot. Looking around, Astro saw he was in a room with a low cement ceiling, the walls covered with bricks. Lights were littered all around the room despite its small size. It was then that he realized he wasn't alone. Scruffy-looking men and women were littered around the room, all staring at the newcomer.

"Relax, Boris! He's just another fighter," the old man said as a tall, overly buff man advanced on him. He froze and grunted with a nod, taking another step back.

"A kid? Are you serious, Hajime?" a girl in her early 20's scoffed as she eyed him from across the room. Her hair was ebony-black and short, reminding him of Cora.

"Yes, I'm serious. I see great potential in him," the old man - called Hajime - replied.

"The kid barely looks like he's out of junior high," she muttered, her arms crossed over her chest. "I don't think he'll last even one match."

"He will need some training," Hajime admitted, coming up to stand in front of the girl. "You know, you weren't exactly older than he is when I first picked you up."

The girl's face grew hot with embarrassment as Astro stared at them. "What're you looking at, pipsqueak?!" she shouted, turning and stomping away into another room.

"You'll have to forgive Airi," Hajime replied, turning back to Astro and holding out a hand. "She gives you the cold shoulder in the beginning, but I promise she'll warm up to you."

Astro took his hand and stood, glancing warily around at the rest of them. Some of them wore accepting smiles on their faces and the rest were sour, just as Airi had been. Just how long were they planning on him staying? "Thank you," he murmured, suddenly finding the ground to be very interesting.

"Let's get moving, everyone!" Hajime hollered at the gathered people. He paused, turning to a boy about Airi's age. "Geo, show him to his room," he added. "The rest of you get to training! The more we're prepared for this next fight, the richer we'll get!"

As the man named Geo made his way over to him, Astro couldn't help but think back to when Hamegg had thrown him in his Robot Games. He had to admit that this place reminded him of back then, but it was different. They wouldn't treat him like something to be thrown away, not if they were giving him a place to sleep and food. The nagging voice at the back of his head continued screaming, but he pushed it firmly away. He wouldn't give up now, especially now that he had a good source of income to look forward to.

As Geo reached him, Astro was surprised to see that he had a genuine smile on his face. "This way," he said. Astro followed as he led the way through corridors and hallways, and was surprised to see that it was a lot nicer than he had expected.

 _See?_ he told the voice in his head. _Nothing to worry about._

"What's your name?" Geo asked as they rounded another corner.

"Uh, Astro," he replied.

"That's a pretty neat name," he admitted. "Wish I had thought of that one."

"What do you mean?"

Geo's demeanor shifted and his eyes flew to his feet. "I didn't have a name growing up," he told him. "No parents. I was forced to live out on the street, scrummaging for scraps, dodging the heroes and the cops. Not easy," he added with a backwards glance at Astro, "but of course you already know that, huh?"

"Yeah," he lied, shoving his hands in his front pockets.

"So one day, Hajime showed up and told me about this place. I was skeptical at first, but it grew on me," he admitted, smiling. "Since then, he's been sort of like a father figure to me. We trained and practiced together; ate meals together. We were almost caught one time," he laughed, looking up at the ceiling as if lost in his thoughts. "Those were some fun times… I named myself Geo in honor of the Earth which we were placed on. Airi thought I was just being sappy, but they all learned to accept it. I mean, they couldn't keep calling me 'Kid' forever."

Astro's smile softened as he was reminded of his own hardships back when his father had shunned him, calling him worthless garbage. "I know how you feel," he murmured.

"Well, here we are!" Geo exclaimed, turning and pointing his arms at the door. "This will be your room from now on." Lowering his arms, he added, "I'm sure Hajime will excuse today's training for you, since you've just arrived. He'll send someone by later with the explanation on how we operate - it'll probably be me. Until then!"

With a respectful bow, Geo left Astro alone by his room. Pushing open the door after a few moments, he was greeted by a similarly nice appearance as the rest of the area. The bed was a single, of course, but that was just something he'd have to get used to. Eyes darting over the remainder of the room as he closed his door behind him, he noticed another door at the end. Curiosity getting the best of him, he made his way over to it and opened it, revealing a small bathroom with a tiny shower. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as he realized he wouldn't be sharing a bathroom with anyone else.

After relieving himself in the bathroom - man, oh man, would he have to get used to _that_ \- he jumped into his bed, letting out another sigh as he noted that the mattress wasn't too hard. It only seemed like mere moments as he closed his eyes that someone knocked on the door. "Astro?" He recognized Geo's voice.

"Come in," he replied.

Geo opened the door with a wave. "Yo. I'm here to give you the rundown on how we operate, like I promised."

"How long was I out?" Astro asked, sitting up.

"A few hours. I bet you're hungry," he added. As if on cue, Astro's stomach let out its answer and they both laughed. Geo wiped the smile from his face and sat down in a chair at the desk next to his bed. "But back to business. Breakfast is at 0600, training is at 0700, lunch at 1200, more training at 1300, and dinner at 1700. Oh, and curfew is at 2100. You think you can remember all that?"

Blinking, Astro nodded quickly. It sure was a lot to take in, but he could manage.

"Good," Geo smiled. "Now, what Hajime wanted me to stress with you the most is that we'll be drilling you harder than the rest of us starting tomorrow. We need you to be ready to fight in a week." He broke off and his mood went slightly darker. "God knows we'll need it."

"Er…" Astro chuckled lightly, holding the back of his neck. "One thing that's been bothering me…" He broke off, staring down at his lap. "This isn't a fight to the death...is it?"

For a moment, Astro thought that his worst fears were going to come true when Geo didn't answer right away. But he laughed at him and brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "Oh, no! Definitely not. I mean, I've lost more times than I have fingers and toes and I'm still here, aren't I?" When the teen nodded, he went on. "Nah, there's no worries, Astro. I promise you these aren't deathmatches. We fight fairly. When one fighter has their opponent cornered or unable to fight, they win."

"Okay, good," Astro sighed with relief. "That's a huge weight off my shoulders. I already had to do that once…" He sucked in a sharp breath, realizing quickly what he had just let out.

" _What?_ You fought in a deathmatch?" Geo blanched, his eyes wide. "No way! You can't have."

Inwardly screaming at himself for letting another of his secrets slip, he nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. I, er...I won three times. The last one, I...I lost."

"But you're here right now! How could you have lost?"

"I was brought back to life," Astro sighed, remembering with a pang how ZOG had saved his life, both by refusing to fight with him and recharging his Core. "I really don't like dwelling on it."

Geo nodded in understanding. "Well, I'll leave it to you then, O Mighty One," he laughed with a mock bow. "But it's time for lunch. I think Hajime wanted you to watch some of the training sessions later to see firsthand how those go." He stood and started for the door, turning back when he noticed Astro was still sitting on the bed. "Coming?"

"Oh, right!" Astro said, hopping off the bed and hurrying after Geo.

Arriving in the room, Astro was greeted by multiple unfamiliar faces and suddenly felt a little pale under his skin. Geo motioned for him to come farther into the room and Astro obliged, hurrying after the man.

After grabbing his lunch - which consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich, some fruit, a carton of milk, and yogurt - they sat down at a table. Astro had to squeeze in between a larger man and Geo. The man turned and gave him a disinterested look, his lip slightly curved upward in the beginnings of a sneer. "Sorry!" Astro hissed with a wince. The man went back to chewing his sandwich.

"A little overwhelming, huh?" Geo laughed, voicing his thoughts. Astro nodded, poking at his milk carton and trying to figure out how to open it. "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it soon, I'm sure."

Figuring it out, Astro pulled the tab back and quickly wolfed down his drink, savoring the taste. He sighed in contempt before turning to the rest of his food. To be honest, he could care less that it wasn't much. It was free. "So this training…" Astro began, swallowing his mouthful. "Are you sure I'll be able to use my Quirk?"

"Well, I hope so!" Geo said. "That's what we're all about. Like Hajime always says, 'the more it's used, the stronger it becomes'."

After a silence that seemed to drag on while they ate their food, Geo continued on, elbowing Astro's side. "So, tell me about yourself. Your background?"

Disheartened slightly, Astro lowered his hands after he was about to take a bite. "Uh… Well - you see, I-I'd really rather _not_ talk about it… It's...really hard for me to accept what happened."

"Ah, a recent one, I see," Geo remarked with understanding. "No worries, though. We'll take great care of you. You'll fit in in no time!"

Astro stared at his half-eaten sandwich in his hands. Something about Geo's optimism was irking at the edge of Astro's mind, but he couldn't quite place his feeling. After all, he seemed harmless enough. _I'm just overreacting, that's all,_ he needled himself. _There's nothing wrong with helping the new guy feel at home._ With another glance at the blonde and black-haired man sitting next to him as he ate his lunch ravenously, a haunted look in his eyes, Astro suddenly wasn't so sure.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the late update guys! I was stuck in a certain part of the story and I wanted to keep my two chapter cushion, as you know. I had to go back and rewrite this chapter slightly, but I hope it doesn't disappoint!**

 **I will be honest and blunt though;** **This story isn't getting much interest, pure and simple. It isn't just the reviews – although those concern me most – but the other story stats as well. I understand that this is a crossover between a sort-of dead fandom and a popular anime. That makes sense. But this lil story has been my brain-baby for some time now, and I don't want it going sour because I'm permanently in a grumpy mood. I need motivation to write, along with the joy of writing itself.**

 **In short, if this doesn't pick up within this chapter and the next, I'll put this on the back-burner and move on. I'm not going to ruin the rest of the story because I'm down in the dumps. If you guys really do like this story, then please review. Tell me what you like about it. Tell me what you didn't. Tell me what I could improve. Tell me what I did well. Just tell me something that** _ **means**_ **something.**

 **In other news, I'm going to be starting a blog on blogspot as well as a Tumblr blog if this picks up. So please, please, pleaseeee review something! Thank you.**


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